Viktor Frankl — those who have lost the meaning of life Bashny.Net

Viktor Frankl, the famous Austrian psychotherapist, psychologist and philosopher, passed through Auschwitz. Here is a Chapter from his book "Say life "Yes!" he was working in the camp and completed after release.

... The person has lost the internal resistance quickly collapses. The phrase which he rejects all attempts to cheer him up, typical "I have nothing more to expect from life." What can I say? How will object?

All the complexity is that the question about the meaning of life must be posed differently. Need to learn for themselves and to explain to the doubters, that's not what we expect from life and what she expects from us. Philosophically speaking, there is required a kind of Copernican revolution: we must ask about the meaning of life, and to understand that this question is directed at us — daily and hourly life raises questions, and we have to answer them — not by talking or thinking, and action, proper behavior. She will have to live ultimately means to be responsible for the correct execution of the tasks life puts in front of everyone, for compliance with the requirements of the day and the hour. These requirements, along with the meaning of life, of different people and in different moments different. So, the question about the meaning of life can not have a common answer. Life as we understand it here, is not something vague, vague — it is specific, and it to us in every moment is also very specific. This specificity inherent in human life: everyone is unique and different. A single person cannot be compared to another, as no fate can not be compared with another, and no one situation is exactly repeated, each called to a different way of doing things. The specific situation requires him to act and try actively to shape their destiny, a chance to realize in experience (e.g., enjoyment) value possible, simply accept their fate. And each situation is unique, unique and in this uniqueness and specificity allows for one answer to the question is correct. And since fate has laid upon man suffering, he should see these sufferings, the ability to transfer them to its unique task. He must realize the uniqueness of their suffering — because in the Universe there is nothing like it; no one can deprive him of this suffering, no one can experience them instead. However, as one who was given this fate, will make its suffering, is a unique opportunity for a unique feat.

For us, in the concentration camp, all this was not abstract reasoning. On the contrary, such thoughts were the only thing that still helps to keep. To hold on and not to despair even when there was no almost no chance to survive. For us the question about the meaning of life had been far from common naive view, which brings him to the realization of a creative goal. No, it was about life in its wholeness, including also death, and under the sense, we understand not only the "meaning of life", but the meaning of the suffering and dying. In this sense, we fought!

© Victor Frankl. To say life is "Yes!". Psychologist in a concentration camp. M., ANF, 2014

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